Henryk Szeryng can be counted among that elite group of twentieth century
violinists who can be termed ‘great’. That said, since his death in 1988 at
the age of seventy he seems to have faded from memory except amongst
collectors. One of the reasons may be that he never cultivated an
individually distinctive sound, instantly recognizable that couldn’t be
mistaken for any other. I am here thinking of such fiddle players as
Heifetz, Menuhin, Oistrakh and Stern, who still feature prominently on the
violinistic radar. I remember watching a documentary in which Itzhak Perlman
made a ‘tongue in cheek’ remark that if he heard a recording of a violinist
and didn’t recognize who it was, he assumed it must be Szeryng. Yet, I have
always greatly admired his playing and been an avid collector of his
recordings for many years.
All the airings here were taken down from live sessions but on close
scrutiny I could only detect the presence of an audience in the Nardini
Concerto due to several bronchial interjections between movements. Welcome
indeed are the Nardini and Vieuxtemps items as, although two performances of
each are indexed in the discography/concert listings I have, I am almost
certain that what we have here is new to CD. They provide the only examples
of Szeryng’s take on these works on silver disc. The Ravel and Schumann, on
the other hand, were both recorded commercially by the violinist, yet these
live performances are again receiving their CD debut.
Pietro Nardini’s Concerto is beautifully melodic. I first became
acquainted with it in Mischa Elman’s superb Vanguard recording with Vladimir
Golschmann. Szeryng’s warm, seductive tone is ideally suited to this music.
Intonation is pristine and phrasing is instinctive. The Ravel Tzigane
showcases Szeryng’s dazzling virtuosity and is imbued with a true gypsy
flavour.
Vieuxtemps’ Fourth Concerto has never received the enthusiasm meted out to
the Fifth. Rarely recorded, it was Jascha Heifetz who put it on the map with
his HMV recording of 1935 with the London Philharmonic under John Barbirolli
(
review). Szeryng’s performance displays a flawless technique and
beauty of tone. He employs a range of expressive slides and position
changes, tastefully executed. However, in the Scherzo he does not achieve
the astounding quicksilver audacity of Heifetz. To me Heifetz owns this
piece and I have yet to hear any violinist who can bring to the work the
subtle nuances, wealth of imagination and range of colour that the Russian
confers on it. There is, incidentally, on Youtube, a film of Heifetz doing
an imitation of an inept student playing the first movement – hilarious and
well-worth a watch.
The seldom played Schumann Concerto was championed by Szeryng throughout
his career. He made a commercial recording of the work with the LSO and
Dorati in 1964. His discography lists eight further performances between
1957 and 1980. Many regard the concerto as mirroring the composer’s mental
health problems at the time of composition. I’ve always enjoyed this music
and Szeryng delivers a convincing performance. The first movement is
vigorous and lyrical. The slow movement in the Polish violinist’s hands is
imbued with tenderness and is, at times, heart-wrenching. Although the
finale’s polonaise theme is repetitive, the movement sparkles with energy,
with Szeryng adopting a brisker tempo than most. Schumann’s orchestration of
the concerto can sound clumsy and unimaginative but Rosbaud inspires the
players in a sympathetic and positive way.
Hänssler Classic’s outstanding release will, I hope, keep the memory of
this great violinist before the listening public. Each of the recordings is
in excellent sound, with the balance between soloist and orchestra
satisfactorily struck. Informative booklet notes in German and English offer
useful biographical detail on the violinist.
Stephen Greenbank
